This invention relates to Hi Hat cymbal arrangements and more particularly to a specially constructed lower cymbal for such an arrangement.
One of the usual ways of clashing two cymbals together without using the hands is the so-called Hi Hat arrangement. In this mechanical arrangement, two cymbals are loosely mounted at the top of a strand, where they are held apart from each other. The top cymbal may then be brought down on a rod sliding through the bottom cymbal to strike the cymbal on the bottom by operation of a foot pedal.
The usual Hi Hat cymbal arrangement has similar cymbals as both the top and bottom cymbals. There have been Hi Hat arrangements in which essentially only one cymbal, the upper one, gives off a sound, when it strikes a lower striking arrangement mounted on the stand. Such an arrangement is illustrated, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,185,014, where a skeletal anvil replaces the lower cymbal to provide an economical substitute. The patent includes a variation in which something more like an actual cymbal is used as the lower portion of the arrangement. But the lower cymbal in that case is shown to have large "openwork" openings, which would detract greatly from the strength of the cymbal, requiring the cymbal to be made, presumably, with some thickness or from some type of material not like that of the usual musical cymbal.
While useful for most purposes the conventional arrangement of a pair of cupped cymbals gives a particular sound that is not desirable for certain applications. If an immediate crisp dry and penetrating sound is desired such a conventional Hi Hat cymbal arrangement will not achieve it. Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a configuration of cymbals in a Hi Hat arrangement that will produce an immediate, crisp, dry, and penetrating sound.
It is another object of the invention to provide such an arrangement of cymbals that can be used with existing Hi Hat support structures.
It is another object of the invention to provide an arrangement of Hi Hat cymbals that produce a particular desired sound and do not depart significantly from existing cymbal structure so that they can be manufactured with conventional cymbal manufacturing processes, and can be produced efficiently and inexpensively.
Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.